Panorama Gondola Kitzbühler Alpen

The panorama Gondola Starts in Hollerbach and is only 10 minutes drive from the hotel. It hovers above the broad Salzach Valley and glimpses into the narrow National Park valleys and the glacial peaks.

The individual reservoirs are situated like fjords in the Austrian high mountain regions. These are technological masterpieces that have countered the callenges involved in building the dams and not only supply power, but also offer touristic higlights. VERBUNd, the largest domestic producer of electricity from hydropower, offers a behind- the- scene glimpse of electricity generation at its excursion destinations.

Go high- with the inclined lift "Lärchwand"

The famous inclined lift "Lärchwand" is one of the highlights on your rout to the high mountain reservoirs. It is Europe´s largest open lift and crosses an incline of 431 meters on the way to the top before the tour continues on the higher situated road to the reservoirs.Another attraction you will pass on your tour is the educational herb trail from the Bergrestaurant Mooserboden to the Fürhermoaralm. During a 45- minute walk across 237 altitude metres, you learn more about the region´s herbs and enjoy a stunning view to the surrounding summits of the Hohe Tauern. Take a break on the Fürhermoaralm alpine pasture before taking the bus back to the Mooserboden. this alpine pasture has an interesting past as it had to be relocated when the reservoir was built. The original alpine pasture is at the bottom of the reservoir. The new alpine pasture was used as catering point for the construction workers on the high- alpine construction sites and was the foundation of today´s commercially serviced alpine pastures on the Pinzgau District.

Bild: VERBUND Kaprun Hochgebirgsstauseen

The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier

The Kitzsteinhorn Glacier is the only glacier which can be reached by lift in the Salzburger Land.

Also, they offer the highest theatre at 3.000 m which shows impressive pictures from the area and the mountains.

Kristallmuseum Bramberg

Whilst the underground part of the Museum is dedicated to the National Park Exhibition “Emeralds and Crystals”, the rest of the house devotes itself to teaching visitors about the fascinating life of our ancestors via the folk culture exhibition and the history of the “Wilhelmgut” house itself. Through a rich variety of displays and exhibits, we reveal the history of craftsmanship, customs, arts and life in bygone days. There are also displays of animal and plant life in the Pinzgau. Upstairs in the attic, you get an insight into the world of bees and the work of the beekeeper. The open air display, which features construction as it was in former times, draws our attention to the creativity of our ancestors.There you will find: an old brick oven, in which we bake traditional farmer's bread.

opening hours: June to September daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.May and October Tue, Thu and Sun 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Schloss Mittersill

History

The area surrounding the castle have been settled since at least the 4000 years, but the significance of the castle in trans- alpine traffic became especially important between the 10th to 14th centuries.

The first records known of the castle date to the 12th century while Pinzgau was under the control of the Duchy of Bavaria, when the Counts of Lechsgemünd (subsequently: Mittersill) decided to establish their family seat there. The site had been chosen on the northern side of the Salzach river because of its ideal location in not only being able to control merchant traffic from Pass Thurn but also that exiting from the southern Felber valley. The castle itself was built in a horseshoe-shape, with an opening to the east and a defensive wall to the south.

In 1228 the fiefdom of Pinzgau came under the control of the Archbishopric of Salzburg and the castle was made the seat of the Archbishops in Upper Pinzgau, and was used as a regional court for almost the next 600 years, including witch trials in Pinzgau, that started in the 16th century and continued into the 18th century. In 1816 after the Napoleonic Wars the Regional Court was transformed into a k. u. k. District Court, and despite the abolition of the Archbishopric of Salzburg in 1806, clergy continued to reside in the castle until as late as 1850.

During the German German Peasants' War of 1525-1526 the castle was plundered and burnt to the ground. Rebuilding of the castle started in 1537 at a cost of 2500 Guilder to give it the appearance that it bears today, with later rebuilding work in the 16th century made after further smaller fires in 1555 and 1597. Though the castle was rebuilt to incorporate already existing structural elements, it was enhanced by newer defensive technologies and more modern comforts. So it was that the west side was strengthened through addition of its two characteristic turrets. In the southern one, the so-called “Witches’ Tower”, a castle chapel was created on the upper floor.

In 1880 the castle was auctioned off, for a price of 4000 Guilder to grain merchant Anton Hahn who himself sold the castle two years later to Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich who employed architect Carl Gangolf Kayser in making renovations to the building. Ownership changed several times in the years that followed, the appearance of its interior rooms changing with each passing resident. Mittersill Castle experienced a very glamorous period from 1935-67 under the leadership of Baron Hubert von Pantz. Notable guests during this period include Dutch Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard, the Shah of Persia, Clark Gable, Henry Ford, Bob Hope and Aristotle Onassis. During this period the castle suffered further fire damage when in 1938 it was struck by lightning.

During the Nazi period the castle was used as a State Institute think-tank for Inner Asia and as a sub-department of the "Ahnenerbe e.V." (a Nazi German think tank for Intellectual Ancient History). For a short time the castle was used as an outer command base for the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, and some female prisoners were brought here.

The castle of Mittersill is no museum anymore but a 4 star hotel where you can have a nice cup of coffee or tea on the terrace.